Travolta to buy movie tickets for hundreds of locals

The actor plans to buy 1,000 tickets to "Killing Season" for the general public and local donors who have contributed to his causes throughout the years.

By Dave SchlenkerEntertainment editor

John Travolta wants to take Marion County to the movies.More specifically, the actor and Anthony resident plans to buy 1,000 tickets to his new thriller, "Killing Season," for the general public and local donors who have contributed to his causes throughout the years.He will give 300 tickets to the donors and then give two tickets each to 350 residents who answer trivia questions online. Those 350 winners will be selected randomly. The deadline is June 30."Killing Season" opens in limited release in big cities on July 12, but Travolta said he arranged for the film to open in Ocala on that date, too.With his more recent films, Travolta has hosted high-dollar movie premieres in Ocala to help raise thousands for local charities. But for this film, he wanted to do something different."We've tapped the community quite a bit," Travolta said. "I feel like this is a way of giving back without having them buy a dinner (at a fundraising premiere). It's a way of giving back without asking for something back."Starting today, residents can go to Ocala.com/KillingSeason and answer three Travolta-related trivia questions. Winners will be selected randomly and receive two tickets each to a screening at Regal's Hollywood 16 in Ocala.Travolta is buying the tickets, he said, to thank local donors who have helped his causes, as well as thank the community in general for all its support since he and his family moved to Marion County 10 years ago. The Travoltas — wife and actress Kelly Preston, daughter Ella and son Ben — live in Jumbolair, a fly-in neighborhood in Anthony that allows the actor/pilot to park his jets outside his back door."Killing Season" has Travolta playing a Bosnian who seeks revenge on a reclusive American veteran (Robert De Niro) of the Bosnian war. The two wind up in a man-to-man showdown in the woods, with a bearded Travolta armed with a bow and arrow."It's terrific," Travolta said. "It's more along the lines of an arthouse movie. It's a wonderful essay on war — and people who have experienced not only war but war crimes and have been guilty of war crimes. I think it's just a really powerful piece."To prepare, he travelled to Bosnia and Serbia."I interviewed several Serbians and several Bosnians. I got their viewpoints, and then I studied with a Serbian and Bosnian for my accent. It was quite of bit of work to get it right," he said. "I still have all the interviews I did with everybody on my phone. There are so many bigger forces behind this smaller war; that's the scary part. There's more than just them."It's a well-written movie. It's an actor's movie. It's got a lot of movement and action, but it's mostly based on characters."The film is rated R, but Travolta said it likely would be appropriate for teens and older.Since 2007, Travolta has anchored five movie premieres to raise money for Marion County charities. Preston also hosted a premiere party for her film "The Last Song" in 2010, raising money for Marion County's special-needs Boy Scout Troop 331 and Memories of Missing Smiles (MOMS) memorial park.In most of those events, the Travoltas walked the red carpet outside the theater, greeting and signing autographs for non-ticket holders.Then, in 2010, Travolta bought more than $25,000 worth of movie snacks for locals attending sold-out screenings of "Grease Sing-A-Long." He did it to thank Marion County residents who launched an online blitz to bring the film to Ocala.Deadline for the "Killing Season" contest is June 30. Winners will be notified by July 1.